Mercedes-Benz has confirmed on Monday, that Smart Cars will not anymore sell gasoline-powered cars in the United States after the 2017 model year. The company added that only pint-size cars would only be offered in EV version.
Mercedes-Benz USA CEO, Dietmar Exler, said in a letter to dealers; "Developments within the micro-car segment present some challenges for the current smart product portfolio. The smart lineup will consist exclusively of the zero-emissions smart electric-drive coupe and Cabrio in the U.S. and Canada."
The automaker will only be selling battery-powered variants of its Smart Fortwo and Fortwo convertible models in the US and Canada. But Daimler mentioned that the change would not affect other markets outside North America.
According to Automotive News, Smart's top year in the United States was in 2014, when the company sold over 10,453 cars. However, sales decreased to just 6,211 cars last year.
Smart cars are built in France. It's based on a 1998 model that got a little change in looks over the years. Mercedes-Benz runs Smart in the United States, but the car has never been considered as one of the automaker's luxury vehicles.
Even though the 2017 version coupe was released in early December, Smart still has a lot of 2016 models in dealer inventory. In fact, it's now offering a special promotion leasing the 2016 models for $89 per month.
Furthermore, Smart still sells several trims of both the coupe and convertible. Its cheapest version starts at $14,650. It's powered by a 0.9-liter that produces 89 horsepower I3.
The first Smart Fortwo for the United States market only got 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The numbers were good, but it's not enough, considering the car's small stature and three-cylinder with a 70-horsepower engine.
The Smart Car, Fortwo Electric Drive, swaps the gas-powered engine with a three-phase synchronous engine that unleashes 80 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque. It also comes with a 17.6-kwh battery that gives 70 and 80 miles of range on a single charge. It is expected that a revised model will go on sale in the US with a starting price of $25,000.
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